Stu won't rely on spot-luck

We feel we have enough ability for it not to go to penalties, but we must be aware of every eventuality

Stuart Pearce

Pearce famously blundered with a spot-kick in Turin nearly two decades ago and Germany went through to meet Argentina in the Italia 90 World Cup Final instead of England.

That sparked a string of England shoot-out failures and prompted Pearce to start plotting so it did not happen again in future.

Tonight he may need to test the reliability of those plans when England face Sweden in the European Under-21 semi-finals in Gothenburg. Pearce was in charge of the Under-21s when they lost to Holland at the same stage of this competition two years ago and has since become obsessed with getting things spot-on.

If it comes to the crunch tonight, there will be no discussion with the players. They will have no chance to back out.

Pearce said: “For myself not to make my team fully aware of the implications of a penalty shoot-out would be folly.

“We’ve practised for two years I will have a list of 1-23 penalty- takers and I will know the order in which we take penalties.

“The only thing in doubt is the 11 on the pitch at that stage.

“Nobody will get a choice. The players won’t change their minds. It is just like team selection.

“From years gone by, the one thing that sticks out is when a manager walked out to the centre circle and had no idea who his best penalty-takers were.

“In the past, the manager would ask who fancies it. That is not exactly a precise science.

“But I know because I have seen it for two years.

“I know from one to 23 who are the best takers and who are the worst.

“Two years ago, the best penalty- takers scored and the weaker ones didn’t and I have to make sure my best take them one to five.

“We feel we have enough ability for it not to go to penalties, but we must be aware of every eventuality.

“If I didn’t go to this level of thoroughness and we lost on penalties, then I wouldn’t be able to walk away feeling I had done everything I could.”

England’s terrible run extends beyond penalty shoot-outs. There has been only one success from 64 international tournaments across the age groups, when the Under-18s won the UEFA Youth Tournament in 1993.